Maintaining the lawn is particularly demanding and not easy for many. We explain when, how and with what to properly fertilize your lawn.
The fertilization of the lawn leaves many garden owners desperate and far too rarely does the green carpet get exactly the nutrient supply that makes it green and lush. For correct fertilization, knowledge of the correct fertilizer, the right frequency and the perfect time are of decisive importance. We would like to convey this knowledge to you in this overview article. Here you can learn how to fertilize in spring, summer or autumn, what the application of organic and mineral lawn fertilizers and how deficiency or excess symptoms are recognized and treated can.
contents
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Fertilizing the lawn: the right time
- Fertilize lawn in spring
- Fertilize lawns in summer
- Fertilize lawn in autumn
- The right weather for lawn fertilization
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Fertilize the lawn: how often and how much?
- Fertilize turf
- Recognize nutrient deficiencies in the lawn
- Recognize overfertilization of the lawn
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The right lawn fertilizer
- Mineral lawn fertilizers
- Organic lawn fertilizer
- Fertilizing lawns with lime: an important contribution to nutrient supply?
If you are at a loss when faced with a dry, ragged or holey lawn, the problem may be incorrect fertilization. We will help you and answer important questions about fertilizing lawns.
Fertilizing the lawn: the right time
Well-planned fertilization guarantees that the lawn grasses are always properly cared for. This includes the fact that only small amounts of nutrients are present in phases of low growth. Because when using mineral lawn fertilizers, too much fertilization at the wrong time can have serious consequences: On the one hand, the lawn can be damaged, on the other hand, nutrients may or may not be leached into the groundwater Soil quality suffers.
In the private sector, two to three fertilizations per year are usually completely sufficient. The first fertilization takes place between February and April to stimulate budding and to provide nutrients for the summer. If you have chosen a very early date and have used a fertilizer with no long-term effect, further fertilization in early summer may be necessary. From July to October at the latest, you should use a potassium-accentuated autumn lawn fertilizer such as our Plantura Organic autumn lawn fertilizer use.
Tip: More frequent fertilization is only necessary on heavily used and very frequently mowed lawns. Examples of this are ornamental and sports turf areas.
More details on the right time to fertilize the lawn see this article.
Fertilize lawn in spring
When your lawn actually needs fertilization for the first time depends on the quality of the soil below:
- Light, sandy soil does not store enough nutrients for the lawn to sprout quickly and vigorously in spring. In order not to let weeds take precedence, a lawn on such a soil should be supported with early fertilization. Fertilize in February with an organic lawn fertilizer or between March and April with a mineral or organic-mineral lawn fertilizer.
- A clayey, very loamy or humus-rich soil usually has enough nutrient reserves to ensure rapid and vigorous budding in spring. You should only fertilize a lawn on such potent soil when the natural growth subsides. You can recognize this by the fact that you have to mow less often. Fertilize with an organic lawn fertilizer for the first time between April and May, with an organic-mineral or mineral lawn fertilizer between May and June.
- If you are not sure about the condition of your soil, you can also have a soil analysis carried out - this will be done, for example, by the Raiffeisen laboratory service offered. Or you can observe the growth behavior of your lawn closely and orientate yourself in the coming year on the noted times when it is driven out and the growth slows down.
More on the subject "Fertilize lawn in spring“You can read about it here in our special article. Everything else to awaken the Lawn after winter we have also compiled for you here.
Fertilize lawns in summer
Fertilizing in early summer may be necessary because there was insufficient fertilization in spring - or it is already a preparation for winter, which can already begin in summer. In summer, however, it is important to be aware of the drought: Plants only absorb nutrients from the aqueous soil solution. So if you fertilize in summer, rain should be the order of the day - or you water after fertilizing. More about the Lawn fertilization in summer find out here.
Fertilize lawn in autumn
Fertilizing in autumn prepares the lawn plants for winter. Special autumn lawn fertilizers provide less nitrogen, but more potassium than normal lawn fertilizers. Potassium is involved in the formation of cell walls and the development of frost tolerance for the winter. It is better not to postpone this important preparation for winter to the last possible date so that the lawn has enough time to use the nutrient. The application of organic autumn lawn fertilizer is possible from June, the fertilization should be done by the end of October at the latest. Autumn lawn fertilizer also contains nitrogen, so that your lawn remains green into winter and, ideally, even throughout winter.
Tip: Under no circumstances should you use a mineral, nitrogen-based lawn fertilizer in autumn. Since nitrogen stimulates growth, another strong shoot would be the result. This fresh shoot is then susceptible to frost and at risk of freezing to death over the winter and hindering the shoot in the coming year.
More detailed information on the subject of "Fertilize the lawn in autumn“Can be found here in our special article. Everything else about Winter preparation of the lawn can also be read here.
The right weather for lawn fertilization
The right weather for fertilizing the lawn is when it is damp and covered. After fertilization, rain should be announced, otherwise watering is necessary. If the fertilizer is not washed in with water after it has been applied, it works more slowly on the one hand. On the other hand, mineral lawn fertilizers can cause “burns” on dry soil, which are caused by the sudden high salt concentration.
Tip: It is best to mow the lawn freshly before fertilizing the lawn. Should he Lawn scarified in spring the first fertilization should only be carried out afterwards.
Fertilize the lawn: how often and how much?
As mentioned at the beginning, two to three fertilizations a year are completely sufficient for the vast majority of private lawns. The fertilized amounts depend on the selected type of fertilizer: Always pay close attention to the dosage recommendation in order to avoid unnecessary costs and damage to the lawn, soil and the environment. For a utility lawn with low pollution - as most garden owners call it their own - we have created an exemplary annual fertilization plan for you below. Please note that this information is a rough guide that varies depending on the type of fertilizer and the load: Low-nutrient fertilizers are used in larger quantities and heavily used areas require up to twice as many nutrients as less claimed.
| Lawn type | March | April | May | June | July | August | September to October |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Utility lawn | 80 g / m2 (*) |
30 g / m2 (*) |
50 - 80 g / m2 (**) |
||||
| Heavy-duty lawn with medium loads | 80 g / m2 (*) |
50 g / m2 (*) |
30 g / m2 (*) |
50 - 80 g / m2 (**) |
(*) = Suitable for our Plantura Organic lawn fertilizer
(**) = Suitable for our Plantura Organic autumn lawn fertilizer
Tip: Mowing and removing the clippings removes many nutrients from the lawn, which you then have to replenish through fertilization. For this reason, mowing with mulching mowers means that you do not need to fertilize as much.
Fertilize turf
Turf turf also needs fertilization. Basically, exactly the same applies to it as to a sown lawn. There is only one little thing to consider immediately after laying: The ground under the turf should have been fertilized with a full mineral fertilizer before laying. This fertilization “from below” ensures that the lawn mats root down into the existing soil as quickly as possible, so that the lawn becomes stable and can absorb water.
The rooting takes - depending on the weather - about three to five weeks. During this time you should not fertilize a rolled lawn in order not to disturb the roots. The first fertilization after laying depends on the season in which the lawn was laid. For a better orientation, we have summarized this dependency in a table below.
| Turf was laid in ... | First fertilization takes place in ... |
|---|---|
| spring | Early summer |
| Early summer | Early fall |
| Early fall | Autumn, with organic autumn lawn fertilizer |
| Late autumn or winter | Spring, with organic fertilizer |
More detailed information on the Fertilizing turf You will find here.
Recognize nutrient deficiencies in the lawn
A lack of nutrients can occur very quickly in demanding plants such as lawn grasses. If you find out that a certain nutrient is deficient, it can be fertilized individually or with a suitably composed compound fertilizer.
A yellowish color of the stalks is typical of a nitrogen deficiency. However, you can remedy this with a quick-acting nitrogen fertilizer. Of course, it is better to have an optimal supply of organic fertilizers or long-term fertilizers that prevent such a deficiency from occurring in the first place.
Yellowing and drying out in hot summer can unfortunately also mean that the lawn is insufficiently supplied with potassium, which increases the tolerance to heat stress and lack of water. In autumn and winter, a potassium deficiency leads to frost damage and thus to yellow, muddy and dead lawn grass.
A phosphate deficiency is extremely rare: the lawn turns dark green to green-purple. In this case, however, refrain from increasing the phosphate fertilization immediately: it might not have any effect at all. Because often there is enough phosphate in the soil, but because the pH value is too high or too low, insoluble compounds with calcium, iron or aluminum ions form. So that the phosphate is dissolved and available to the plants, a pH value of 6.0 to 6.5 is optimal. If you have a phosphate deficiency, we therefore recommend that you test the pH of your soil first, before doing more Phosphate fertilizer simply falls to "fixing" in the ground.
The nutrient element magnesium is also very important for a healthy lawn. A magnesium deficiency manifests itself in a similar way to a nitrogen deficiency, but the leaf veins of the stalks remain green longer. So checking this may require you to take a really close look at your lawn. Most lawn fertilizers contain sufficient amounts of magnesium.
Recognize overfertilization of the lawn
Like all plants, lawns suffer not only from a deficiency, but also from an excess of nutrients. A small excess leads to typical nutrient damage, which is summarized in the table below.
| Nutritional element | Excess symptom |
|---|---|
| Nitrogen (N) | - Excessive growth - Soft straws - susceptibility to frost damage - Dark green color - Causes calcium and magnesium deficiency |
| Phosphate (P) | - No / hardly any symptoms on the plant - "Fixing" in the ground |
| Potassium (K) | - Causes calcium deficiency |
| Magnesium (Mg) | - Causes calcium deficiency |
In the case of a very strong over-fertilization, as can only occur with mineral fertilizers, the "burns" of the Lawn: The high concentration of dissolved salts in the soil leads to a strong loss of fluid in the grass and thus to the Die. More details about license plates and how to avoid a Over-fertilization of the lawn you can also find out here in this special article.
The right lawn fertilizer
The choice of lawn fertilizer determines how often and at what time you can or must fertilize your lawn. The type of nutrient supply also has a huge impact on the health and quality of the soil. This in turn determines to a decisive extent how evenly your lawn grows, how well it sprouts in spring, how well it is supplied with water and how healthy the roots grow.
Mineral lawn fertilizers
Mineral lawn fertilizers contain nutrients in salt form. After application, these dissolve very easily in the water in the soil. Once they have dissolved, the plants can immediately take them up. In summary, mineral lawn fertilizers have the following advantages and disadvantages:
Advantages of mineral lawn fertilizers
- Fast action
- Cheap price
Disadvantages of mineral lawn fertilizers
- Mineral fertilizers are degraded with high energy expenditure or from fossil deposits, the production is environmentally harmful
- Mineral fertilizers bypass many chemical and biological processes that lead to the release of nutrients in natural locations. Therefore fertilization errors can easily occur. Possible consequences are: an unfavorable change in the pH value, excess symptoms, loss of nutrients and damage to the environment through leaching, overfertilization and a reduction in soil quality
Since the use of mineral fertilizers leads to fertilization errors much more quickly, we recommend that you leave the use of mineral fertilizers to trained specialists.
tip: A certain exception applies to mineral fertilizers with long-term effects. These make plant damage and leaching less likely through a special coating and a slow release of the nutrients. However, they too will ultimately degrade the quality of the soil if organic material does not occasionally get into the soil. More to mineral fertilizers in general, you can read here.
Organic lawn fertilizer
Organic or mainly organic lawn fertilizers like our Plantura Organic lawn fertilizer contain nutritional elements in organic form. This means that they are packaged in a natural casing. This shell is broken down more or less quickly by soil organisms, which releases the nutrients. Organic lawn fertilizers have the following advantages and disadvantages:
Benefits of organic lawn fertilizers
- Organic fertilizers release nutrients slowly and for a long time, which means that there is never overfertilization and rarely leaching
- Organic fertilizers have a natural long-term effect
- Due to the natural release of nutrients, the soil chemistry remains in balance
- Soil organisms are promoted: Useful insects, bacteria, fungi and worms rummage through the soil and ensure good ventilation and mixing
- Depending on the type of organic fertilizer, more or less humus is formed. More to humus and its advantages can also be read here
- In particular, the demanding maintenance of lawns is made easier, since forgotten or late fertilization appointments are less of a consequence
Disadvantages of organic lawn fertilizers
- The effect of organic fertilizers is always a little delayed, so that it is necessary to fertilize with foresight
The Plantura developed by us also has all of the advantages mentioned Organic lawn fertilizer as well as our Organic autumn lawn fertilizer. In addition, both are free from animal components, the raw materials used are obtained in the food industry. This makes our fertilizers even more sustainable than other fertilizers based on slaughterhouse waste.
An overview of all mineral and organic Lawn fertilizer, about their application as well as advantages and disadvantages can be found in our special article.
Tip: Organic-mineral lawn fertilizers are also suitable for fertilizing lawns. The combination of organic and mineral components enables both a short-term and a long-term effect. You can use these fertilizers to meet acute nutrient needs - without the risk of plant damage, leaching or damage to soil life.
Fertilizing lawns with lime: an important contribution to nutrient supply?
That Liming of lawns has a long tradition. Until a few years ago, lawns were preferably supplied with mineral fertilizers. Ammonium was often used as a nitrogen supplier. Since the supply of ammonium leads to a drop in the pH value, this trend had to be counteracted by regular liming.
A lawn on normal garden soil that is fertilized with organic fertilizers does not require regular lime additions. Rather, the inexperienced administration of lime can even lead to problems: An excessively high calcium content in the Soil leads to the establishment of phosphate and thus possibly to a phosphate deficiency in the lawn. In addition, a pH value that is too high does not offer optimal growth conditions for lawn grasses - rather, lime-tolerant or lime-loving wild herbs are favored. For this reason, if you think that liming is necessary, it is better to test the pH of your soil beforehand. You can do this pH soil test Carry out a soil analysis yourself or take advantage of a soil analysis such as that provided by the Raiffeisen laboratory service is offered.
Of course, exceptions confirm the rule here. Many a plot of land has soils with an extremely low pH value. This applies in particular to forest properties and those that border on former or existing bog areas. Regular liming may actually be necessary to maintain a moderate pH value so that the optimum pH value of 6.5 for the lawn is maintained.
More detailed information on the Liming the lawn can also be found in this special article.
Tip: If ammonium is fertilized together with nitrate - as calcium ammonium nitrate or ammonium sulphate nitrate - the pH value does not drop. However, the supply of mineral nutrients has other disadvantages, as you learned in the section "Mineral lawn fertilizers" above.
